Yoga with a twist

Deep in the ashrams of India, yoga is a way of life that influences your actions, your feelings about yourself and others, and your treatment of humankind.

But here in the states, it translates loosely into something of a spirituality-flavored fitness class — prompting teachers across Massachusetts to find ways to keep the loyalty of an easily distracted population of health-conscious yogis.

The result? Yoga … with a twist.

Whether hanging upside-down from 20-foot silks or attempting a headstand on a paddleboard in Marblehead Harbor, the very word “yoga” has come to include any number of physical disciplines, tailored to a generation of yogis who possess the very best of intentions and very little time in which to accomplish them.

There's AcroYoga being offered in Boston — a style of yoga that requires two people to bend and contort themselves into Cirque-de-Soleil-styled postures. Aerial yoga, which has made its way to Northboro, asks participants to trust their bodies and their instructor, releasing their grip on a silk hammock as they relax backward toward the ground in a traditional “wheel” posture, even if none of their limbs actually make contact with the floor.

There is iron yoga being offered in Lancaster, where lightweight dumbbells allow a Warrior posture to deepen into tricep kickbacks and lateral rows.

And in an ultimate expression of heaven and Earth, the town of Harvard is home to a studio where fireside yoga and yoga classes held outdoors on fairer days are as much a part of the norm as yoga held to live acoustic Beatles or Grateful Dead tunes.

Rumors have circulated about a class somewhere in the Bay State that ends with a wine-tasting.

“Underneath whatever 'trends' of yoga that will come and go, people simply want to explore their potential, to feel good, to feel joy, to feel freedom,” said Jen Sundeen, owner of The Durga Studio in Harvard. “(They) are all being birthed from this inherent desire to tap into our rich potential, into that vast ocean of joy that lies within us.”

And what appeals to the student is based largely on what appeals to the instructor — as many instructors who have achieved their certification in traditional styles of yoga find themselves gravitating toward something a little off the beaten path.

Kim Gebo, who owns Ebb n Flow Yoga in Northboro and has become a devotee (and certified instructor) of aerial yoga, was immediately drawn to the silks. Her classes have rapidly gained popularity and draw students from beyond the Worcester area, with some traveling from Wellesley and Newton. Perhaps what they seek is a teacher so comfortable in her own skin that she can convince them to move way outside their comfort zone.

“I was that kid who wouldn't get off the monkey bars,” she said, laughing. “And so when people come in here, and they are nervous, I can kind of show them why they shouldn't be — and help them to trust themselves.”

That trust is a necessary component of a typical yoga practice, but even more so when working in the elements. Paddleboard yoga, offered by SUP East Coast Style on the North Shore, requires yogis to work to achieve equilibrium in body and mind while dealing with the motion of the ocean.

Students swear that when the sun is beating down and everything hits the mark, there is no experience on Earth quite like yoga on the water.

“You feel so incredibly free,” said SUP instructor Leah Beth Goodman, who owns the business with her husband, Christos Douroudis. “Because of the water, you can get so much deeper into your core — it brings your practice to a whole new level.”

Sheila Lancelotta, who teaches iron yoga at Healthways Studio in Lancaster, was inspired after reading about the specialized discipline. Because of her background with gym-based strength training and a dedication to whole-body fitness, the idea of adding small hand weights into her yoga practice was a natural progression.

With the heat turned up to 85 degrees and the chi flowing freely, the class is designed to challenge even the manliest of men.

“This class is all about marrying what you do in the gym with your yoga practice,” she said, though she admits that so far it hasn't caught on within the gym culture. Instead, she and studio owner Jeff Myers have discovered that the class appeals mainly to experienced and dedicated yogis who wanted to take their current practice and turn it into a no-joke workout. Males make up more than half the class.

But make no mistake — these fun and flavorful bends on a traditional yoga class in no way detract from the importance of a committed practice. As far as Ms. Sundeen is concerned, they are all beautiful forms of expression that are to be celebrated.

“We gather for anything that helps us feel healthy, happy, authentic, loving, connected, free,” she explained. “We celebrate each other and the amazing gifts that lie within each of us.”